Convertible garment.



J. H. DEUTSCHMAN.

CONVERTIBLE GARMENT.

APPLICATION man JAN-30.1915.

Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

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mars ran JACOB H. DEUTSCHMAN, F BOSTON, MASSsACI-IUSET'IS.

CONVERTIBLE GARMENT.

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Specification of Letters Patent. 7 Pate11ted NOV.14, 1916;

Application filed January 30, 1915. Serial No. 5,594.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAooB H. DEUTSOH- MAN, of Boston in the county of Suffolk and State of lvlassachu'setts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Garments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ladies garments,

and has for its object the production of a skirt of usual out or style, open its entire length, preferably at the front, and provided with means to readily convert said skirt into a cape such as is commonly used for evening wear.

' Another object of this invention is to provide means to retain the gathered portion of the garment in gathered position when said garment is to be used as a cape.

A further object of the invention is to provide a temporary collar which presents a smooth unbroken surface to the neck of the wearer when. the skirt is to be used as a cape, and to give form to that portion of the garment that is gathered in.

To accomplish the above results the skirt is provided with devices permanently secured thereto and so disposed that they are not apparent to the observer when the garment is being worn.

At or near the waist line of the skirt suitable running or gathering cords are located, each of said cords being fastened at one end to the inner face of the garment adjacent its edges, the other end passing around the garment in opposite directions and threaded through slits provided therefor located near the edges of said garment, said ends being fastened to the garment to prevent the accidental withdrawal thereof. At a predetermined distance from the slits said cords are provided with knots or enlargements adapted to be drawn through said slits previous to fastening engagement therewith, the object of the enlargements on the cords and their coacting slits being to retain the gathered portion of the garment in such position at certain times.

The invention further consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be fully understood b reference to the description of the drawings and to the claims hereinafter given.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a garment embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view of said garment in condition to be used as a cape. Fig. 3

is an enlarged View of the inner face of the top portion of the garment. Fig; 4' is an enlarged partial plan view of Fig 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of one of the temporary fastening means for the gathering cords.

Similar characters ings. v r

In the drawings, is a skirt of usual or suitable style open its entire length from waist line to bottom hem as at 11, and provided with usual fastening devices such as the well-known hook and eye 1213 and ball and socket fasteners 14-45 and ornamental buttons or the like 16.

At or near the top'portion of the garment, running or gatheringcords 17-18 are provided, one end of each cord being fastened at 19-20 near the edges 2122 of the garment 10, the other ends of said cords passing in opposite directions and threaded through slits 23-2% adjacent the edges 21 22 of the garment, said cords being thereafter fastened to the garment at 2526 to thereby prevent the accidental withdrawal of said cords 17-18.

In practice the cords 17-18 will be hidden from observation and confined in their proper place by means of the strip of material 27 suitably secured to the skirt 10.

At a predetermined distance from the slits 23-2t the cords 1718 are provided with knots or enlargements 2829 adapted to be pulled through said slits and thereafter engaged therewith to form a temporary fastening means for said cords to re- I designate like parts throughout the several figures of the drawtain the gathered portion of the garment in such position, see Figs. 2, 4, and 5.

Permanently fastenedto the garment at 30 is a strip of flexible material 31 of suflicient stiffness to act as a collar when the garment is to be used as a cape. Normally the free ends of the strip 31 will be held in position shown in Figs. 1 and 3 by means of suitable fasteners 32, but when the garment 10 is to be used as a cape the free ends of said strip 31 will be detached from these fasteners 32 and refastened to other fasteners 33 near the edges 2122 of said garment 10, thereby forming a temporary collar tion of the garment is securely held in posi- To change the skirt to a cape, the gathering cords 1718 protruding from the slits 23-2l must be pulled until the enlargements 2829 pass through the said slits and are lodged outside and at the inner end of said slits thereby temporarily fastening said cords and the gathered portion of the garment in position.

Previous to pulling the gathering cords, the free ends of the strip 31 should be re leased from their normal position and refastened to the edges of the garment by means of the fasteners 33 after the gathering cords have been pulled the required distanoe and fastened.

It-Will thus be seen that the gathered portion Without the possibility of accidental release .under ordinary conditions and the neck of the wearer is protected by the smooth unbroken surface of the collar strip 31.

' It is obvious that the garment may be made of any well-known dress goods including Waterproof material and the devices herein described and claimed may be changed in some minor particulars without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

It is believed that the advantages of a garment constructed in this manner will be fully understood from the foregoing de scription.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a garment of the class described, a

skirt open its entire length at the front; gathering cords located near the top of said skirt, the drawing ends of said cords being fastened to opposite edges of said garment and threaded through slits provided in and adjacent the edges of said garment; enlargements on said cords adapted to ooact with said slits to enable said cords to be fastened in predetermined drawn position.

2. In a convertible garment, a skirt open its entire length at the front thereof; gather ing cords located near the top of said skirt; slits provided in said garment coaoting with enlargements on said cords to form temporary fastening means for said cords; and a strip of flexible material permanently fastened to said skirt and adapted to form a collar when said skirt is to be transformed into a cape.

3. In a convertible garment, a skirt open its entire length at the front thereof; gathering cords at the top thereof; permanent and temporary fastening means for said cords and a strip of flexible material permanently fastened between its ends to the skirt; retaining means for the free ends of said strip when said garment is to beused as a skirt;

and means to refasten the free ends of said 1 strip relative to said skirt when said garment is to be used as a cape.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JACOB H. DEUTSCHMAN. WVitnesses NATHAN C. LOMBARD, EDWARD F. ALLEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

